Weather

A few showers overspreading the Heartland

On the Plains, isolated showers are confined to the northern half of the region. Across much of the northern and central Plains, however, dry conditions are maintaining concerns about a lack of moisture for winter wheat establishment. In contrast, recent soil moisture improvements are aiding rangeland, pastures, and newly planted winter grains on the southern Plains.

Across the Corn Belt, a cold front is triggering widely scattered showers across the upper Midwest. In advance of the front, a surge of moisture is resulting in the development of a few showers in the Ohio Valley.

In the South, widespread rain is developing from the central Gulf Coast into the Tennessee Valley. The rain is slowing or halting fieldwork but further reducing long-term precipitation deficits in areas with lingering drought.

In the West, a few showers linger across the central Rockies. West of the Rockies, warm, dry weather favors fieldwork, including Northwestern winter wheat planting.